“Johnny P’s Caddy” is Benny The Butcher’s First Entry on the Billboard Hot 100
That J. Cole feature really came through for Benny The Butcher. While the Buffalo rapper has been making…
Mary J. Blige Helped The LOX Get Signed to Bad Boy Records
If it wasn’t from the help of their fellow Yonkers native, the hip hop world may never have…
Queen Latifah was the First Rapper to Perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI, scheduled for February 13, 2022, is going to have one of the most…
No Limit Records Started Out as a Record Store in Richmond, California
While the No Limit Records brand is widely associated with the ’90s New Orleans rap scene, the origins…
Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing” Was the First Rap Single to Go Platinum
The late ’80s was a wildly creative time for hip hop music. With The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”,…
Raekwon and Ghostface Dissed Biggie on ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…’
“Niggas bit off of Nas shit! You know what I’m sayin’? Word, niggas, niggas, niggas, niggas caught his…
Run-D.M.C.’s “Rock Box” Was the First Rap-Rock Song
Run-D.M.C. may not have been the first hip hop act to use a rock guitar in their music…
AZ’s Verse on “Life’s a Bitch” was the First Recorded Verse of his Rap Career
Walk up to any hip hop head and say these lyrics – “Visualizin’ the realism of life in…
Public Enemy Made “Rebel Without a Pause” in Response to “I Know You Got Soul”
On February 10, 1987, Public Enemy dropped their debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show. Recorded at Spectrum…
‘Ready to Die’ Was Inspired by ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’
When you think about AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, released in 1990, and Ready to Die, released four years later,…
MC Shan Wanted to Respond to “The Bridge Is Over” But Marley Marl Refused
It’s unfortunate that MC Shan’s legacy in hip hop is often relegated to being the loser of the…
Roc Marciano Was Originally Part of Busta Rhymes’ Crew, Flipmode Squad
Over the past decade, Long Island’s Roc Marciano has developed the reputation as one of the very best…
Run-D.M.C.’s ‘Raising Hell’ Was the First Rap Album to be Certified Platinum
There really hasn’t been another hip hop act like Run-D.M.C. The amount of achievements, records set and trends…
Nas Took Four Years to Create ‘Illmatic’
These days, it seems like rappers pride themselves on recording music in the shortest amount of time possible.…
Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee Starski was the First Modern Rap Battle
If you had to point to a single moment or event that revolutionised hip hop and transformed the…
Ghostface Killah Started Writing ‘Supreme Clientele’ in Africa
In the fall of 1997, after the release of his debut, Ironman, and Wu-Tang’s sophomore album, Wu-Tang Forever, Ghostface Killah…
Biggie Met 2Pac on the Set of ‘Poetic Justice’ in 1993
One of the biggest what-ifs and greatest tragedies in hip hop history is what would have happened if…
Nas Nearly Suffocated During the ‘I Am…’ Album Cover Shoot
When we were ranking all of Nas’ albums, from worst to best, we said that I Am… was…
A$AP Ferg’s Father, Darold Ferguson, Designed the Bad Boy Records Logo
If you’ve ever wondered who the baby on the Bad Boy Records logo was based on, chances are…
Three 6 Mafia Were Originally Called The Backyard Posse
The influence and impact of legendary Memphis hip hop group, Three 6 Mafia, cannot be overstated. Especially over…
‘Midnight Marauders’ and ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ were Released on the Same Day
1993 was a very special year for hip hop music. You had 2Pac starting to refine his craft…
The Beastie Boys’ ‘Licensed to Ill’ was the First Rap Album to Top the Billboard Chart
While Run-D.M.C.’s monumental third album, Raising Hell, was the first rap album to hit platinum status, The Beastie…
Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite” was Inspired by Geto Boys’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me”
Ever since Kid Cudi made his recording debut in the early 2000s, he’s been one of the biggest…
“Duel of the Iron Mic” is GZA’s Favourite Song off ‘Liquid Swords’
When you talk about the greatest Wu-Tang solo albums, there are usually two albums that are always in…
Jay-Z Inspired The Notorious B.I.G. to Stop Writing Down his Rhymes
When we’re talking about the greatest rappers to ever touch the mic, it’s very rare that you have…
“Flava in Ya Ear” was the First Bad Boy Records Release
While history may remember the late, great Notorious B.I.G. as the ultimate Bad Boy Records superstar, it was…
DJ Hollywood Was the First MC to Rap Over Breakbeats
When Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc hosted a Back to School Jam for his sister, Cindy Campbell,…
“93 ’til Infinity” was Originally Titled “91 ’til Infinity”
“This is how we chill from 93 ’til…” When it comes to ’90s rap records, “93 ’til Infinity”…
Tupac Made his Debut On Digital Underground’s “Same Song” in 1991
Before Thug Life, before Death Row, the East Coast–West Coast beef, before Makaveli, before he went down as…
Nas Brought 50 Cent with Him During the Nastradamus Promo Tour
Before Nas had cemented his legacy as one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time, and…
Q-Tip Wrote Part of Busta Rhymes’ Verse on “Scenario”
When it comes to talking about the greatest rap guest verses in history, there are a several that…
‘Lyte as a Rock’ is the First Hip Hop Album by a Female Solo Rapper
Female rap history has long been rich and diverse. From Queen Latifah to Monie Love to Salt-N-Pepa, female…
Jay-Z has the Most Grammy Nominations of Any Artist in History
Jay-Z just keeps adding to the list of reasons for why he’s the greatest rapper of all time.…
50 Cent’s Debut Record Appearance Was on Onyx’s 1998 Single “React”
Before 50 Cent was television executive producer Curtis Jackson, before he sold 30 million albums worldwide, before he…
Mobb Deep Pulled “Drop a Gem on ‘Em” Off the Radio After Tupac Passed Away
Following their widely acclaimed 1995 sophomore album, The Infamous, the official Queensbridge duo quickly headed back into the…
Future is the First Artist to Have Two Albums Top the Charts in Successive Weeks
In 2017, Future was having a banner year. Just a couple of years ago, he was making a…
‘4:44’ is Jay-Z’s First Album with Only One Producer
Over his 30-year rap career, Jay-Z has earned the reputation for having one of the greatest ears in…
Tupac’s Debut and his First Posthumous Album are Only Five Years Apart
It’s crazy to think about Tupac accomplished in the short amount of time he had on Earth. Before…
LMFAO’s Redfoo Has a Songwriting Credit on Kendrick Lamar’s “King Kunta”
If you scroll through the songwriting credits on Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 magnum opus, To Pimp a Butterfly, there…
Danny Brown Nearly Signed with G-Unit Records in 2010
When you think of rappers on opposite ends of the spectrum, then you’d probably have the quirky and…
Kendrick Lamar’s Real Parents – Paula Oliver & Kenny Duckworth – Feature on ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’
When Kendrick dropped his 2012 major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city , he created a massive shift…
Ice Cube’s ‘Kill At Will’ is the First Hip Hop EP to Reach Platinum Status
After leaving N.W.A. in 1989 due to financial disputes, Ice Cube was at a crossroads. Even though he…
‘He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper’ is the First Double Album in Hip Hop History
Throughout the decades, hip hop fans have seen our fair share of great double albums released by ambitious…
Ice Cube Wanted Dr. Dre to Produce ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’
As the key contributor to N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-E’s Eazy-Duz-It, both platinum albums, you can understand…
Nas and AZ Were Supposed to Be On ‘Reasonable Doubt’
If you want to trace the beginnings of the legendary Jay-Z vs. Nas beef, you have to go…
Cypress Hill and Ice Cube Passed on “Jump Around”
When you talk about ’90s pop rap singles that defined the era, then it’s hard to not to…
Mike Dean Met Kanye While Working on Scarface’s ‘The Fix’
Over the past two decades, the one name that has remained a constant on Kanye’s ever-evolving sound and…
Kanye West’s First Major Label Production Placement was on Jermaine Dupri’s ‘Life In 1472’
Before Kanye West was the Kanye West – you know, setting up recording studios at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium…
Nas and Biggie Were Meant to Record a Remix for “Gimme the Loot”
In the mid-90s, there were a lot of rappers vying for the King of New York throne, whether…
Biggie Rapped Over Tha Dogg Pound’s “New York, New York” Beat First
Hip hop heads will remember that the Tha Dogg Pound’s “New York, New York”, released on September 17,…